This is the white poplar tree at the east gate of Zhongling, pointed out by passersby as the site of a double tomb.
Inside the tomb lie a young couple, buried with a pair of white jade tablets in the depths of the afterworld.
When they meet in the realm of the dead, they speak with muffled sobs, reminiscing about the past and sharing their stories.
The husband spoke of his visit to three mountains the year before, and now he returns as a corpse.
She drew her eyebrows herself when they were together, but now she draws his features on his face.
As her feelings for him grow deeper, his appearance changes in her mind, but she cannot make him respond to her calls. Her heart breaks as she realizes she cannot go with him while he is alive, but she can be with him in death.
She leaves behind a painted portrait of him to remain in the world, and every year, the bamboo grows ever more mossy with tears of sorrow.
She recalls passing Yanping渡河 (a place) and seeing the sword-shaped bay transformed by two dragons.
There is no longer a father or mother in the hall, nor children or daughters below.
If only she had a son and a mother-in-law, her sincere heart would never wither.
The grand events of the Six Dynasties are long gone, like flowing water, and how many can truly maintain loyalty and righteousness to the end?
In the autumn wind and cold moonlight, like a phoenix she comes, and with her lover she rises to play flute on the terrace.
《白杨行》是一首情感深沉、意境凄美的诗歌,它以白杨树下的双墓为背景,缓缓展开了一段生死相随、忠贞不渝的爱情故事。诗歌开篇即点题,“钟陵东门白杨树,行人指点是双墓”,简洁明了地勾勒出故事的场景,白杨树下的双墓成为了行人瞩目的焦点,也预示着这背后有着不同寻常的故事。
接下来,诗人通过墓中夫妇的口吻,讲述了他们的悲剧命运。“墓中夫妇俱少年,一双白璧薶黄泉”,年轻的生命过早地逝去,如同珍贵的白璧被深埋于黄土之下,令人惋惜。“黄泉相逢语呜咽,一一从前向郎说”,在阴间重逢,妻子含泪向丈夫诉说着生前的点点滴滴,情感真挚而动人。
妻子回忆起丈夫离家远行的情景,“前年郎去客三山,今年郎归白骨还”,前后对比鲜明,从满怀期待的离别到白骨归来的残酷现实,让人不禁为这对夫妇的命运扼腕叹息。她曾精心自画蛾眉,如今却只能为丈夫描绘容颜,“容颜转似心转切,叫郎不应心断绝”,这种无法言说的悲痛,让人深切感受到妻子内心的绝望与挣扎。
“生时不得逐郎行,死时却与郎同穴”,这句话道出了妻子对爱情的坚守与执着,生前无法相伴,死后也要同穴而眠,这份深情厚谊令人动容。而“丹青遗像留人间,年年泪竹寒生斑”,则进一步渲染了这份爱情的永恒与不朽,遗像留在人间,成为永恒的纪念,泪竹上的斑痕,仿佛是妻子无尽的泪水所化。
诗人还巧妙地穿插了对往事的回忆,“当年曾过延平渡,还见双龙化剑湾”,这一细节不仅丰富了诗歌的内容,也增添了神秘与传奇色彩。而“堂前既无父与母,堂下又无儿与女。使妾有子堂有姑,丹心一寸那能枯”,则表达了妻子对家庭残缺的无奈与遗憾,如果有子女、有长辈在堂,她的内心或许还能有一丝慰藉,但现实的残酷让她只能独自承受这份痛苦。
最后,“六朝盛事付流水,忠义几人能到底。秋风月冷凤凰来,与郎同上吹箫台”,诗人将笔触从个人命运扩展到更广阔的历史背景,六朝盛事已成过往,而真正的忠义又能有几人坚持到底?在秋风月冷的夜晚,凤凰飞来,带着妻子与丈夫一同登上吹箫台,这既是对美好愿景的向往,也是对这对夫妇忠贞爱情的最高赞美。
整首诗歌情感真挚,意境深远,通过细腻的心理描写和生动的场景刻画,展现了主人公对爱情的坚守与执着,以及对生命无常的深刻感慨。它不仅仅是一首爱情诗,更是一幅动人心魄的人生画卷,让人在阅读中感受到生命的脆弱与坚韧,以及爱情的美好与伟大。